On Thursday, March 13, 2003, at 11:02 AM, Euphorian wrote:
-Caveat Lector-
3/13/2003 10:36:46 AM, Ray Boeche <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: "" My biggest question is how do you construe anything America has done in the past, or intends to do in the near future, as "empire building"?
"" We have always striven to liberate countries, give the people a voice, and then let them deal with their internal affairs; not dominate or subjugate others.""
In case you missed the last the history of the last fifty years, the U.S. has been the most successful occupation force in the memory of the World (the Soviets collapsed a while back, in effect, giving up their claim to any prizes). The pretext was liberation and protection. With the advent of ICBMs, the only reason for maintaining a ground force in Europe was to preposition forces for subsequent occupation should the "Cold" War have heated up.
Now, if you have any qualms about this analysis, think about what the realtions with the French have been since DeGaulle. Recall that he was the de facto leader of the French in Engaland during the Second Great War. Recall he led the Free French back into France. Recall he later became the national leader who then escorted to the Americans to the nearet borders. He understood (all-too-well from his experiences with the Germans) the difference between "liberation" (which was his intention) and "occupation" which was what happened. France has not been really popular with the Americans' policy makers ever since. DeGaulle liberated his country and people got PO'd. Germany's next, followed by Turkey. Note how the Americans have "allowed" them to voice their opinion and conduct their internal affairs. And let's not discuss Afghanistan in this context. The only thing that was liberated there was the opium crop. "Liberation" does NOT result in the House of Representatives taking some jingoistic tack of renaming a basically American food. This act was supposed to be a "symbol' but, if anything, they did the French a favour: no self-respecting French person would eat such gastronomically inferior substandard gut stuffers as a "french fry".
My question remains - "How do you construe anything America has done in the past, or intends to do in the near future, as "empire building"?
Let's put aside the fact that DeGaulle and the Free French marched back into France under covering fire of American troops. The French have been screwed up since the so-called Enlightenment.
The only reason Germany exists as a democracy (albeit a socialist democracy) is because the US presence in West Berlin and West Germany kept the Soviet Union from expanding their very real empire.
Once again, where is this empire we've built? Name the countries we control.
Ray
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